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Home studio monitors, best affordable....


the boy
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old tannoy reveal are ok but are limited with out controls,
here is an older shoot out so any of these should be cheepish now.
the behringers did well.
[url="http://www.digitalprosound.com/2002/10_oct/reviews/monitor_shootout.htm"]http://www.digitalpr...or_shootout.htm[/url]

i have the tannoys and the roland and can say the roland DS90 are very good
loads of in/out options and eq, i never liked powered monitors without a vol control.
i am biased toward the ds90s, so i am going to say i dont think the reviewer knew too much about them
as there is so much more to them...
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun00/articles/rolandds90.htm

but looking at the shootout the behringers must be worth a listen as they are cheep enough on ebay
used at the mo

Edited by funkgod
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[quote name='winterfire666' timestamp='1410713723' post='2552233']
depends on your budget but [size=4]Equator[/size] [size=3]D5's[/size]
are amazing value and easily compare to stuff more than double the price.
theres a review here,
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec12/articles/equator-d5.htm
[/quote]
These seem really good and round about my price range.

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[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1410725873' post='2552481']
These seem really good and round about my price range.
[/quote]
i have worked with many different pro level monitors and these are up there with many of the big names in terms of [size=4]q[/size]uality and having the ability to get great results, if they are in your price range i honestly think there isnt anything else out there that can compete without spending significantly more cash, when i got mine scan.co.uk had the best prices and i got to test them 1st as its only down the road from me which was nice, they are also releasing a sub too very soon for those who need that kind of thing.

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Good question! And one that always ends up being answered by: [i]"Spend as much as you can afford"[/i] :)

I did some window shopping around this subject recently. I didn't want to re-mortgage the house (I'm just a hobbyist, after all) and so set myself a budget of around £300-£400 maximum.

I ended up with a pair of Mackie 'MR' Mk2 series, which I found on sale (they come in 5" or 8" size - the latter obviously recommended for larger rooms). Review here:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct11/articles/mackie-mr-mk2.htm

They get consistently positive reviews and can currently be found on the cheap as the newer - but not substantially better - Mackie Mark 3 (Mk3) series are now available.

To be honest, it's all 'much of a muchness' unless you're spending upwards of £1000 on a pair of properly sealed (i.e. non-ported) monitors. Everyone will have their own preference - which 99% of the time is going to based on what they themselves have at home (the old 'brand loyalty' effect, which I'm guilty of myself!). But you can't go wrong with any of the examples listed in this thread, which all offer a good bang for your buck$.

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[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1410786908' post='2553087']
Good question! And one that always ends up being answered by: [i]"Spend as much as you can afford"[/i] :)

I did some window shopping around this subject recently. I didn't want to re-mortgage the house (I'm just a hobbyist, after all) and so set myself a budget of around £300-£400 maximum.

I ended up with a pair of Mackie 'MR' Mk2 series, which I found on sale (they come in 5" or 8" size - the latter obviously recommended for larger rooms). Review here:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct11/articles/mackie-mr-mk2.htm

They get consistently positive reviews and can currently be found on the cheap as the newer - but not substantially better - Mackie Mark 3 (Mk3) series are now available.

To be honest, it's all 'much of a muchness' unless you're spending upwards of £1000 on a pair of properly sealed (i.e. non-ported) monitors. Everyone will have their own preference - which 99% of the time is going to based on what they themselves have at home (the old 'brand loyalty' effect, which I'm guilty of myself!). But you can't go wrong with any of the examples listed in this thread, which all offer a good bang for your buck$.
[/quote]
Thank you. Now I'm confused. I wouldn't mind something secondhand, so I was thinking £300ish should get me an awesome set in the secondhand market. However there seems to be a lot of quality sets new in the £200-£300 range. Mmmmmmmmmm...,

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[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1410790299' post='2553142']

Thank you. Now I'm confused. I wouldn't mind something secondhand, so I was thinking £300ish should get me an awesome set in the secondhand market. However there seems to be a lot of quality sets new in the £200-£300 range. Mmmmmmmmmm...,
[/quote]

You can some great deals secondhand... and also some with knackered cones that have been ragged by previous owners ;)

It's one area of audio where I myself decided to buy new and do the 'breaking in' myself.

But you can get some great bargains, so don't overlook the second hand market.

PS: as an aside, I did consider a pair of secondhand NS10s, as they're often cited as being the 'industry standard' - but a long conversation with an engineer mate of mine talked me out of it as he considered them "overrated" in comparison to modern equivalents. Just something to bear in mind if you opt for secondhand.

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...also, it's important to note that there's really no such thing as truly 'flat' monitors - well, not at the price range you, I and most other people here would be prepared to pay.

Each set of monitors will add its own colour and character to the sound - and so whatever set you choose, your ears will need to adjust and you'll still need to check reference material and make judgements on what you're hearing, rather than accepting it as a Gospel truth, so to speak. But I'm sure you know all that.

Equally as important is whether you've applied acoustic treatment to the room you're working in. If not, then your choice of monitors is largely irrelevant as the room itself will have an equal (if not greater) impact on the sound reaching your ears. A lot of textbooks on the subject suggest spending as much on acoustic treatment as on monitors.

Bear in mind this is all coming from someone who a) has his monitors in boxes because he doesn't currently have space to set them up; b ) works in a room with absolutely zero acoustic treatment; and consequently c) mixes solely on headphones! :D

Edited by Skol303
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[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1410790581' post='2553145']
I recently got a pair of PreSonus Eris E5s (£109 each), and I'm very pleased with them. I compared them with the Yamahas in the same price bracket and I thought the Yammies were harsh.
[/quote]

Just got a pair of these for my lad (next size up E4.5, extra £30.00 each speaker),
We had a chance to compare with a pair of Equator D5's,
and both sounded great (excellent), and to be honest very similar,
My lad thought the PreSonus just had a slightly tighter bottom end.
Both brands are in an affordable price range and well worth checking out.

The PreSonus review.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct13/articles/presonus-eris.htm

PreSonus write up.
http://www.presonus.com/products/Eris

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Tapco S5 - and the bigger S8) - no longer made but come up used fairly often. Very happy with my S5's.

Review here:
[url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb04/articles/tapcos5.htm"]http://www.soundonso...les/tapcos5.htm[/url]

Edited by dincz
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  • 2 weeks later...

I've just ordered some Studiospares SN10A based on price and reviews and also the fact that the mixing headphones I have from them are fantastic.

I'll try and post some kind of review when I get them.

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[quote name='TheSiberian' timestamp='1412496689' post='2569251']
Strange enough...
Nobody know the Genelec?
If you want a real good monitor for home or studio ( or better said, if you want to hear the same sound at home and in the studio) you better choose the Genelec line. For example 8240A.
Best
[/quote]

... or a pair of ATC SCM25A Pro. Who's counting..? :rolleyes:[size=4] [/size]

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[url=http://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and-Computers/Adam-F5-Active-Studio-Monitors-Pair/N48?origin=product-ads&gclid=CNDzpIPnlcECFabMtAod6QgAng]Adam[/url] make some of the best studio monitors.
At this price you'll never get earth-shaking bass but those will give you a good idea of what's there!
And don't get anything like Yammy NS10s. They were designed as a worse-case speaker - if you can get it to sound good on those they'll sound good on anything. They over-emphasise the treble so they're screechy like a banshee - they're almost always used in conjunction with a good main monitor!

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I use KRK Rokit 6 G3'S and to be honest they were the best investment I made in my whole setup, if you are in a normal size room you would only need the Rokit 5's as the are well loud enough. Since using these my mixes are much better but as someone said earlier monitors all have there own characteristics and you need to get used to them.

[url="http://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and-Computers/KRK-Rokit-RP5-G3-Active-Monitors-Pair/V4Y?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=krk%20rokit%205&utm_campaign=Krk&utm_content=sDgS4yHW2|dc_pcrid_58170353599_plid__kword_krk%20rokit%205_match_e_&utm_network=google&utm_adgroup=Krk+RP5%2C+Pair%2C+Black&gclid=COD-_OiFp8ECFVDItAodKFEAEA"]http://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and-Computers/KRK-Rokit-RP5-G3-Active-Monitors-Pair/V4Y?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=krk%20rokit%205&utm_campaign=Krk&utm_content=sDgS4yHW2|dc_pcrid_58170353599_plid__kword_krk%20rokit%205_match_e_&utm_network=google&utm_adgroup=Krk+RP5%2C+Pair%2C+Black&gclid=COD-_OiFp8ECFVDItAodKFEAEA[/url]

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[quote name='TheSiberian' timestamp='1412496689' post='2569251']
Strange enough...
Nobody know the Genelec?
If you want a real good monitor for home or studio ( or better said, if you want to hear the same sound at home and in the studio) you better choose the Genelec line. For example 8240A.
Best
[/quote]

+1, my money would likely go on some used genelec 8020's, but to be honest there's such an enormous choice out there this stuff comes down to personal preference in the end.

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As suggested above - Spend as much as you can and get the best (to your ears) your money will buy, then use them to death until you know every little nuance there is.

Buy second hand if you can, so you can get more for your money, but if you have to buy new, the Presonus Eris range are (to my ear) the best of the budget bunch. I also quite like the old faithful Alesis M1. If you can pick up any old Events (TR5, TR8 etc) then they are killer. I've been an Event user for some time and swear by them (I'm now using 20/20 BAS V3), but we are dangerously close to changing the discussion to 'whats your favourite monitors', rather than important question of 'what is right for me?'.

Also, like bass cabs, they all have their own flavour, and buying any without trying them out with music you know to see how they suit your ear is a big gamble.

Edited by pantherairsoft
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